Physical vitality and fitness are improved and maintained by exertion of the body. Various exercises and activities have been devised to enhance overall fitness and to condition specific muscles and muscle groups. Resistance exercise, also called strength training, increases muscle strength and mass and bone strength and improves metabolism. Resistance training can employ free weights, weight machines, and calisthenics. With free weights, such as dumbbells or barbells, the exerciser determines the ranges of motions of the weights as they are lifted. On the other hand, weight machines use the structure of the machine to control the type of movements which can be applied to lifting captive weights. In calisthenics, such as chin-ups, push-ups, sit-ups, xe2x80x9cjumping jacksxe2x80x9d, and the like, the weight of the exerciser""s own body is used as a resistence force to be worked against.
Exercises can be classified by their effects on muscles and according to the character of motion involved. In isometric exercises, muscles contract, but there is no decrease in length. Some muscles may work against other muscles or against a fixed, or relatively fixed, object. Isokinetic exercise refers to exercises which permit maximum muscle contraction throughout the full range of movement of a joint associated with the muscle. Pliometric exercises refer generally to types of exercise in which movement of an object is halted, then reversed in direction of movement. An example of a pliometric exercise is catching and then throwing back a xe2x80x9cmedicinexe2x80x9d ball.
There are a large number of devices, apparatus, and equipment for use in performing various types of exercises, such as the weight machines and free weights mentioned above. Weight machines and barbells tend to be large, heavy, and expensive, as do various type of treadmill machines, weight and exercise benches, and spring based exercise machines. There are also a large number of small, inexpensive devices for use in specific types of strength training and exercises. A large proportion of exercise devices are designed for use by manual grasping and manipulation. In most cases, such grasped devices are sized to be gripped with closed, or mostly closed, hands.
Although there are benefits to be realized using such closed hand gripped devices, it has been found that there are also benefits to exercise devices which cannot be gripped with a closed hand, but which must be supported with open hands. The benefits of such an open handed device involve the necessity of combining isometric muscle contractions with otherwise isokinetic or pliometric types of exercises. The isometric contractions result from the need to clamp or compress such a device between the open palms of the hands to support the device.
The present invention provides an open hand gripped exercise device to provide muscle exercising benefits resulting from performing exercises with a weighted device which is supported by the user""s hands in an open configuration. The preferred device includes an H-shaped inner frame formed by a center bar and end bars connected perpendicularly to ends of the center bar. The end bars, and preferably the center bar, have cylindrical cushions sleeved thereon to increase their gripped diameter. The cushions have limited resilience so that the device must be gripped with the hands substantially opened.
The center bar is preferably adjustable in length and includes a center section with end sections telescopically engaged thereto. Removable fasteners secure the end sections to the center section. The end bars are connected in T-shaped joints to the end sections of the center bar. Opposite ends of the end bars are adapted to receive additional weights. The ends of the end bars may be threaded to receive retainer collars to hold combinations of conventional dumbbell type plates on the end bars.
The exercise device can be used in a number of types of exercise devices, such as free weight types of lifting exercises like presses and curls and other lifting exercises, such as those in which one arm opposes movement of the other. The exercise device can also be used to enhance the effect of calisthenic type exercises, such as sit-ups, jumps of various kinds, abdominal twists, lunges, and even running. In most of the preferred exercises with the device, it is gripped in an open handed manner. This requires isometric contraction of muscles used for effecting a grip on the device.
The center bar can be extended to increase the separation of the end bars for exercises which make use of rotational momentum. The extended configuration can also enable a more secure grip of the device, such as if additional weights are placed on the end bars. The separability of the end bars from the center bar facilitates packing and storing the components of the exercise device.
Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from the following description taken in relation to the accompanying drawings wherein are set forth, by way of illustration and example, certain embodiments of this invention.